Droopy bird with head tick

[Nicki1002]

Hi all. I noticed one of my old girls (5yrs) looked a bit droopy yesterday. Today she has a very messy bum and a nearly continuous head tick. I’ve not dealt with any major chicken diseases, but this seems concerning. Any ideas what this is and how to proceed? Thanks in advance.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Does she have some facial swelling or squinty eyes, its hard to see her face in the video.

With her stance, has she laid an egg in the last few days?
If not, then I'd give her 300mg Calcium Citrate+D3 now then once daily for a week, she may be having some problems expelling an egg or lash material.

Check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight, if not, address that symptom according to article below. Look her over for lice/mites around the vent, under the wings and check inside her ears for any signs of lice/mites, debris or pus.



https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

 

[Nicki1002]

Does she have some facial swelling or squinty eyes, its hard to see her face in the video.

With her stance, has she laid an egg in the last few days?
If not, then I'd give her 300mg Calcium Citrate+D3 now then once daily for a week, she may be having some problems expelling an egg or lash material.

Check her crop to make sure it's emptying overnight, if not, address that symptom according to article below. Look her over for lice/mites around the vent, under the wings and check inside her ears for any signs of lice/mites, debris or pus.



https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

Thank you! Her eyes are squinty, for sure. She does still have energy to walk around, and she came out to greet me. But her energy is definitely lower than normal. I know I have mites in my coop as I just lost another girl last week. She died while I was out of town, so I can’t speak to her symptoms. I returned home the day after she died, so she was in my garage a day before I could bury her. All the tiny black mites came to the surface, clearly visible on her white feathers. I immediately ordered Elector PSP as I live far from any sort of farm/ranch supply store. I’ve suspected mites for a bit, but I could never find them on my birds or in the coop. Unclear whether she has laid as she’s been out with the rest of the girls. I’ve isolated her, so I’ll check for an egg as well as an empty crop in the am. It was full this afternoon, and she continued eating and drinking in isolation. Her bum is very messy, but I hesitate to stress her out by cleaning it in a bath. Thoughts on that?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

I know I have mites in my coop as I just lost another girl last week. She died while I was out of town, so I can’t speak to her symptoms. I returned home the day after she died, so she was in my garage a day before I could bury her. All the tiny black mites came to the surface, clearly visible on her white feathers. I immediately ordered Elector PSP as I live far from any sort of farm/ranch supply store. I’ve suspected mites for a bit, but I could never find them on my birds or in the coop.

I'm sorry that you lost a hen.

Mites may be the reason for the head flicking, hopefully you can treat the flock and housing and get them eliminated.
Mites can cause of lot health issues.